About NWRLS

Letter from the Director

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Northwest Regional Library System. NWRLS is a department of Bay County and is headquartered at the Bay County Public Library in
Panama City. We have eight locations in Bay, Gulf and Liberty counties, serving a population of over 200,000 residents. We proudly serve over 34,000 visitors each month
who have access to a collection of 320,000 books, movies, eBooks, downloadable audio books, ukuleles and more. Each library offers public access computers with Microsoft
Office software and internet access, and Wi-Fi is available in all locations. Our customers also have access to online research resources, most of which can be accessed 24/7
from any internet computer.

NWRLS offers educational and recreational programs for all ages. Our preschool programs make reading and stories fun for children and families and help prepare children to
enter school with the skills they need to be successful. Our Literacy Department offers one-on-one and group tutoring to help people improve their reading, writing and English,
study for the citizenship test and more. Teen and Adult programs are diverse and include musical performances, technology instruction, gaming, art classes and exhibits, book
discussions, and lectures. Our Foundations and Friends groups provide support, volunteers and funding that makes much of what we do possible.

A must see for residents of Bay County is the Jane Patten Genealogy and Local History Room at the Bay County Public Library. This room is a treasure-trove of local artifacts
and information on the history of Bay County. Genealogy researchers can access Ancestry.com as well as many other physical research materials. Bay County Public Library also
houses the Bay County Law Library which is available during all of BCPL’s operating hours.

The Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Library in Port St. Joe offers another special collection, the Alfred I. DuPont Florida History & Genealogy Center. It is open during
all operating hours of the library and offers access to Ancestry.com in addition to thousands of physical research volumes and artifacts.

Please visit our webpages on the history of the Northwest Regional Library System, our Annual Report and our Long Range Plan for more details about where we
have been and where we are going. Our staff is top notch and committed to providing an exceptional experience for our customers whether they visit in person, on the phone, via
chat, text or email. We’re here to connect you with the information you seek.